Marvel Anime is a series of four anime superhero television series and two direct-to-video films produced in collaboration between Marvel Entertainment, Japanese animation studio Madhouse, and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan. The four twelve-episode series, based on Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men, and Blade, aired in Japan on Animax between October 2010 and September 2011. An English-language version aired in North America on G4 between July 2011 and April 2012. Each of the series, guided by writer Warren Ellis, largely features Japan as the setting for the storyline. Premise The project reimagined top Marvel characters for a Japanese audience via four 12-part series; Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men, and Blade, which aired in Japan on Animax between October 2010 and September 2011. The announcement was confirmed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. According to former Madhouse President and CEO Jungo Maruta, Marvel gave the anime studio free rein to re-imagine the Marvel superheroes for Japanese audiences. The English version would premiere in the United States on G4. The series was guided by Warren Ellis. "It will create an entire parallel universe for Marvel," said Simon Philips, president of Marvel International about Marvel Anime. The Marvel Anime series aired in Australia on Sci Fi. Wolverine appears in all four of the anime, being a guest star in Iron Man and Blade, with each appearance taking place either before and after his anime. Iron Man (DVD title: Iron Man: Animated Series; spelled IRONMAN on-screen) is the first show of the series with 12 episodes. The series was directed by Yuzo Sato, with Warren Ellis writing the story and Jamie Simone serving as voice director, casting director, and reversion producer for the English version. A special preview ran on Animax on September 25, 2010, before the series began airing on October 1, 2010, and ended on December 17, 2010. While Iron Man premiered in the US on G4 on July 29, 2011, a "sneak peek" of the first episode aired on July 23, 2011 following G4's Comic-Con 2011 Live coverage. The entire series was released on DVD in the United States on April 24, 2012. It was also released on Blu-ray in Japan on June 22, 2011. A follow up direct-to-video film called Iron Man: Rise of Technovore was released on April 16, 2013. Plot Tony Stark goes to Japan to produce a new arc reactor power station and showcase the Iron Man Dio, a new